Nasal Vestibular Expansion in UCLP: A 5- and 10-Year Cephalometric Study

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of nasal vestibular expansion (NVE) during primary lip repair on the developmental profiles of hard and soft tissues in individuals with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP).DesignA retrospective analysis of prospectively collected nonrandomized data.SettingTertiary medical center.Patients/ParticipantsWe enrolled patients with complete UCLP who underwent lip repair using the triangular-flap technique with NVE (NVE group) and those who did not (non-NVE group).Main Outcome MeasuresHard and soft tissue profiles were analyzed using lateral cephalometric measurements obtained longitudinally at 5 and 10 years of age.ResultsThirty-five patients were included in each study group. At 5 years of age, the NVE group exhibited significantly smaller SNA and SNB angles compared to the non-NVE group. The non-NVE group had a negative overjet, whereas the NVE group had a significantly larger overjet. At 10 years of age, there were no significant differences in hard tissue measurements between the groups.ConclusionsNVE does not promote the forward growth of the maxilla. However, in 5-year-old children, the degree of reverse overjet of the anterior teeth was smaller in cases where NVE was performed compared to non-NVE cases, suggesting that NVE affects the maxillary anterior teeth.